Zola rues Hammers cup exit

West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola admitted he was bitterly disappointed to be knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough.

The Hammers were beaten 2-0 in Wednesday's fifth-round replay at the Riverside Stadium following first-half goals from Stewart Downing and Sanli Tuncay.

"It's a big blow for me as I know how special it is winning this cup and I wanted my players to have that same pleasure that I had a few years ago," said Zola.

"It certainly wasn't our best performance, but to be honest it's the second time in a few days that we have started with an opposition player putting the ball in the top corner and after that, straight away conceding a second goal.

"That would make it difficult for anybody, especially confidence-wise.

"It wasn't a great performance, but I believe the players gave everything, which is very encouraging."